Should everyone go to college? This question seems to have even more of an impact as I myself make the decision as to whether college is the correct choice. From the time we enter kindergarten, parents drill into our heads that college is the only way we can be successful in life, but is it true? Is college the only “right option”? The answer is no. While encouraging young Americans to attend some kind of secondary school is always a positive, college is not for everyone.

Many students carry a heavy disdain for even primary schooling. As Wood mentions in his article, “College for All: Obama’s Education Agenda,” many students struggle to even get through middle or high school level schooling. While 10 percent of these children may be afflicted by learning disabilities (ScienceDaily.com), it is clear that some people are just not scholars. In short, they lack the drive needed for higher education. Even when attending a community college, you have to WANT to be there. In the real world, things aren’t just handed to you and that is even more true in the education world. I had a teacher once that always said, “You get back what you put into it,” and this is absolutely correct. If students don’t have the drive or desire to succeed in lower education, how will they ever be able to succeed, or even compete in the dog-eat-dog work world? While the idea that college is for everyone is nice, it is mere fantasy that everyone moving on to higher education will better society.

The leading cause for students to attend college is an increase in earning power, 76.6 percent to be exact (Wood); but what if the focus in life shouldn’t be money, but the quality of life? Many people, including my own family, feel that yes, money is necessary for survival in society, but that our focus should instead be on happiness rather than the number of zeros in our bank accounts. Some may argue that through college, students may find this personal fulfillment, or happiness, but according to the Chronicle for Higher Education, over 21 percent of students felt overwhelmed by what they were doing in college, which does not sound like the kind of “enriching” environment it’s supposed to be.

College has its major purks, that is clear from the fact that this is such a big debate, but to say that “everyone should go to college” is just ludicrous. In a world where every person is individual and unique, saying that college, or even higher education in general, is the right option for everyone, is simply neave.